In general terms, the concept of sustainability, which humanity has encountered in every period of history, has started to be used more in the 20th century when environmental problems came to the fore. The process, which accelerated with the discussion of environmental destruction and climate change as a result of industrialization and overuse of natural resources, has now been placed on the world agenda with various international agreements.

The UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972, which brought environmental problems to the global agenda, is considered to be the beginning of international concrete developments on sustainability.  The conference declaration emphasized that “humanity must protect and improve the environment for present and future generations.” After this conference, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) was established.

The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development became widespread with the 1987 UN report Our Common Future. Sustainability is defined in this report as follows: “Development that meets the needs of the present without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

This report also emphasized that economic growth, social equality and environmental protection, which had been considered separately until then, should be considered together.

Sustainability efforts gained momentum on a global scale with the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro 20 years after Stockholm. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which emerged as a result of this conference, and the Conference of the Parties (COP), which was established within the framework of the Climate Change convention and brings together world leaders every year, started to influence decision-making processes on climate change.

In 2000, the concept of sustainable environment was included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) announced by the UN, and the sustainable development goals, which replaced the MDGs that expired in 2015, provided a more inclusive framework by emphasizing the link between social, economic and environmental issues.

Adopted in 1997 and entered into force in 2005, the Kyoto Protocol operationalized the UNFCCC convention. With this protocol, industrialized countries and developing countries have committed to targets to limit and reduce their individual greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol also provided additional opportunities for countries to reduce greenhouse gases. Accordingly, countries will allow the trading of emission permits within the framework of flexible market rules. According to the Protocol, countries are obliged to meet their emission targets by taking national measures, but it allowed international emission trading, clean development mechanism and joint implementation. Türkiye tried to be removed from the list of OECD countries for many years in order to buy more time for targeted greenhouse gas reductions but abandoned this obviously fruitless policy by ratifying the Paris Agreement. Signed in 2015, the Paris Agreement accelerated global climate change efforts. It entered into force on November 4, 2016 with the condition that at least 55 countries, which account for 55% of global emissions, ratify the agreement (Fit for 55). The agreement is based on the classification of developed and developing countries in preventing climate change and the understanding that all countries assume responsibility on the basis of the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and relative capabilities”.

Besides the UN, we see the EU as another global climate actor. The EU has adopted and implemented certain climate policies before other countries. Announced in 2019, the European Green Deal aims to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 in line with the Paris Agreement targets, with a net 0 carbon reduction target by 2050, and envisages a radical transformation in the economy.

To summarize,

The international transformation movement, which started in the world in 1972, resulted in a consensus on the basic principles of sustainability in the early 2000s, followed by the establishment of clear timetables and the transformation phase. The movement, which started with the voluntary activities of companies in developed economies in this period, has evolved into a structure in which many countries have made measurement, transformation and reporting processes mandatory through legislative amendments. In addition, government agencies, foundations and associations as well as international organizations have started to provide training/consultancy, cash support/grants and low-interest and long-term loans to support transformation. All these developments should be considered as a clear declaration that sustainability will become the “new normal” in the near future. 

Next Post: Sustainability Process in the EU and Türkiye